Endings and Eternities
by lks358
Summary: The Dimension Cannon doesn't work, and Rose is left stranded in Pete's World. Heartbroken and defeated, she decides that a long trip is just what she needs, and she soon finds herself in the small coastal town of Broadchurch. Crossover with Broadchurch.
1. Prologue

"_Rose, love, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we're shutting it down."_

Rose had to remind herself not to be cross with him. It wasn't Pete's fault, after all. If anything, he was the one who kept the program going for as long as it had.

"_But you can't, not now," Rose fought to control her voice, but her desperation still seeped through. "We've worked so hard, and we're so close!"_

"_Rose," Pete sighed, his expression equally weary and pitying. "Believe me, this was not an easy decision. I know how much this means to you. But you have to look at it rationally. It's been three years, and the rest of the research team tells me that you're hardly any closer now than you were when you started and that progress has been completely stalled for almost a year now. When we started the project, we were worried about the stars going out, but that's stopped now. I know that you hate to hear this, but it stopped being feasible to keep the program up quite a while ago, and we just can't continue with it any longer."_

Rose knew he was right, of course. Everything about this project had been a drain on Torchwood, and it simply was not sustainable. If she was completely honest, it had been a drain on her, too. The last three years of her life had been nothing but this project. She had gone without sleep and food in favor of getting in that little bit of research or testing that might just be the breakthrough she was looking for. She hadn't gone out at all, despite Mickey and Jake's constant invitations. She had even ignored her family – the only good thing about this universe – and missed most of the early years of her brother's life simply because she was so wrapped up in her work. And yet, even knowing all of this did not make her newest loss any less painful.

"_Pete, please," Rose was begging now. "Just give me a little more time, that's all I need, and we'll get it to work. I'll just have to work harder and work longer hours and –"_

"_Sweetheart." Pete put his hand on her arm and Rose met his gaze, unable to help how she visibly crumpled under the finality of that single word. "You can't work longer hours – you're working yourself to death as it is. I'm sorry. But I have to shut it down."_

_Closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall, Rose only nodded._

The Dimension Cannon had only been a wild hope, anyway. Everything about it was so conditional – _maybe _they would find a way for it to work if they worked hard enough, _maybe_ circumstances would change that would allow it to work, _maybe_ it would work and she could get back to the right universe,and _maybe_ she could find the Doctor there. It had been a long shot at best, and Rose was fortunate that Pete had let her spend so much time and so many resources on it. The Dimension Cannon had been a gamble, and in the end she had lost.

The defeat was almost crippling as Rose replayed the conversation in her mind. It had only happened the day before, but it felt like a lifetime ago, and at the same time it felt like a dream or something she had watched happen to someone else. She felt detached. That girl who she remembered talking to Pete yesterday couldn't have been her. Rose Tyler would never have accepted defeat, would never have given up so completely and been so weak as to shed tears over the loss.

There was nothing to do today, and the long, empty hours stretched out before her. Pete had insisted that she take some time off – she had been working so hard, and having the project shut down was quite a blow, so maybe it would be best if she just had some time to relax. Rose wasn't as sure as Pete was that this was a good idea. She had tried to sleep in but woke at the crack of dawn anyway, unable to fall back to sleep and ending up just looking up at the ceiling for hours. Finally, at what seemed like a reasonable time, Rose dragged herself out of bed to make herself a cuppa, pausing to look at her reflection in her bedroom mirror for what felt like the first time in ages. The years of exhaustion and desperation had certainly had their impact – her face had grown pale and shallow, and her eyes were perpetually ringed with dark circles. She looked worn and weary, and not at all like the Rose Tyler who had said goodbye to the Doctor on the beach.

Maybe defeat would look better on her than desperation had.


	2. Chapter 1

After a week of rest, Pete allowed Rose to return to Torchwood, assigning her as a field agent on some less-dangerous missions. Rose had to admit that she did feel better than before – while she certainly wasn't her old self, she was a little bit closer. Her time off had been spent lounging in bed with a book and taking hot baths, talking with Jackie and playing with Tony. She was sleeping more, and her eating was closer to normal. She had even bought herself chips.

It wasn't a drastic improvement or anything, but it was enough to giver her hope that maybe, eventually, she could heal.

She tried to go about her day like she normally would have. She filled out and filed some of the paperwork that was stacked high in her office, visited various departments to discuss issues with them or see what they were working on. She tried to act like she didn't notice the pitying looks that she received from every single person who passed her in the hall. She tried not to listen to the murmured conversations that people thought she couldn't hear. "Poor girl," they all said sadly. "I simply can't imagine what she's going to do with herself now." And just like that, the weight of everything she had lost and all the grief she had suffered came crushing back down on her.

The entirety of Torchwood certainly did not know the specifics of her tragic story – only Jackie, Pete, Mickey, and Jake knew everything. But the rest of the Torchwood staff had plenty of time to observe, over the previous three years, that the Dimension Cannon meant everything to Rose and that, for some reason or another, she was deeply emotionally invested in it. Everyone had seen how hard she had worked and how wholly devoted to the success of the project she was. And, apparently, word had gotten out that the project had been shut down, and so everyone knew that, too. Rose couldn't imagine anything worse than being pitied by people who didn't even know exactly why she was to be pitied. At least until she sat down with Mickey for lunch, that is.

"Don't look at me like that," she sighed, looking down at the plain surface of the cafeteria table rather than facing Mickey. "I can stand that look from everyone but you."

"Sorry," Mickey replied, though the expression remained firmly in place.

"Yeah, me too."

They sat in silence for a moment, Rose picking idly at her food, before Mickey gave in. "Are you doing all right, Rose?" Rose opened her mouth to answer, but Mickey cut her off. "And don't try to feed me that bull you've been giving everyone else. Be honest with me."

"I honestly _am_ ok," Rose snapped. Mickey continued to look at her blankly until she added, her voice softer, "Or at least I thought I could be until I came into work today. At home, I could sort of block it all out and not think about it – pretend it never really happened. I guess it's all starting to seem real again."

"'Spose Torchwood's not exactly the most encouraging place to be in the world," Mickey muttered, and Rose cracked a small, bittersweet smile.

"'S really not. I don't really feel like talking about it, though."

"Fair enough. But I'm here if you decide you do feel like talking."

Rose did not decide to talk about anything; this was the closest she got to it all day and, if anything, the looks that she continued to receive made her want to talk even less. It was as if they had all given up on her. Everyone felt sorry for her because they felt that she had nothing left, and they were starting to convince her of that, as well. There was nothing for Rose to do but hold her head high and continue trudging through her day. By the time she left Torchwood, though, the tiny amount of optimism she had felt that morning was gone.

She wished she knew how Mickey could do it. He didn't seem like he was just getting by – he seemed happy with his life. Mickey had been just as invested in the Dimension Cannon as Rose, at least in the beginning. His grandmother had died peacefully in this universe, and for a while there was nothing to keep him here any more than there was anywhere else. He and Rose had worked side by side, researching and going on missions to gather potentially helpful information or stop the rising threat of another Cyber attack. But Mickey had seen this coming. Near the end, he had started trying to distract Rose, giving her other projects to pursue and gently saying things like, "You know, Rose, we've put so much work into this, but it may just be impossible." He had always been the last one to leave the lab, apart from her, trying to convince her to go home and rest for a while.

Saying that Mickey was moving on with his life sounded harsh in Rose's mind when the thing he was moving on from was so indescribably important to her, but she knew it was true, and she knew it wasn't a bad thing. He was devoted to his work at Torchwood, sure, but he had a life outside of work, too. He had friends to go out with, and he even had a steady girlfriend – a doctor called Martha from the hospital down the road. He was doing so much better than just getting by. But for Rose, just managing to get by seemed like enough of a goal.

Despite the bleakness that settled in, it wasn't hard for Rose to find a comfortable routine. Get up, spend the day pouring over research and paperwork and, if she was lucky, go out with a Torchwood team to handle something in the field. Some nights she would have dinner at the Tyler mansion and keep Tony up late, playing with him and telling him stories about the Doctor and the people they met and places they went (she would only leave when she couldn't contain the tears any longer, and she'd wake up the next morning still unable to shake the sadness, but Tony loved those stories, so she told them anyway). Some nights her colleagues would manage to drag her to the pub for a while and she would sit quietly, sandwiched between Mickey and Jake, until she could manage to politely excuse herself and slip away. Most nights she simply returned to her bare, empty flat, exhausted and a little more deflated than the day before.

Every once in a while, Rose would lose her composure and snap at well-meaning coworkers or stubbornly refuse to answer her cell even though Jackie had left five messages already. One night, as she looked around at her undecorated flat, realizing that everything seemed prepared for her sudden departure and that she would have to do something to make the space more livable, it suddenly hit her that she had accepted staying in this universe. The realization made her feel utterly hollow, and she had sat on the floor and cried for over an hour. These times when she broke down were relatively rare, though, and she always hated when it happened.

Her days lacked the excitement and joy of travelling with the Doctor and the sense of purpose that the Dimension Cannon gave her, but Rose carried on. And so a month went by.

"Rose, sweetheart." Rose looked up to see Jackie sitting down across from her with a cup of tea, sighing inwardly at the tone in her mother's voice. That tone had become common during their visits, full of concern and hope and caution. Rose could guess where the conversation was going, and it made her start to regret opening the door to let Jackie into her flat. "I've been thinking lately that it'd be nice to go on holiday. Someplace tropical, maybe. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"'Spose so," came Rose's usual noncommittal reply.

"Wouldn't it be fun to go someplace just the two of us? I think a girl's trip would be just lovely, and it'd be a nice change to get out of London for a while."

"I don't really want to go on holiday, Mum," Rose said as gently as her worn-out patience would allow.

"Why not? You used to do nothing but travel. Don't you miss it?"

"Of course I miss it," Rose snapped, and Jackie's expression softened.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I know how hard these last few years have been. I'm just worried about you, is all. You seem so…" Jackie paused, searching for the right word, "…unhappy."

"I'm fine, Mum."

"I never said you weren't fine," Jackie pointed out. "I said you're unhappy." Rose couldn't think of a way to respond, and Jackie took the opportunity to continue. "Rose, you've handled everything that's happened to you with more strength and dignity than I thought possible. But have you really let yourself deal with any of it? It seems like as soon as the initial shock wore off, you threw yourself into your work and finding a way to get back to the Doctor. You've worked so hard, but do you feel any better than you did at the start?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever feel better. Sometimes I think I'm starting to, and it all just comes crashing back down on me."

"You can't just bury yourself in your work forever and hope that everything else will go away in the meantime, sweetheart."

Rose was thoughtful for a moment while Jackie sipped her tea. "You really think I should go on holiday?"

"I think it might help you to get out of London for a while," Jackie told her. "Sometimes a change of pace helps more than anything else. Pete and I've already talked about it, and if you decide you want to travel, we'll put you up anywhere you want for as long as you want."

"You don't have to do that," Rose said quickly. "I do have three years of my Torchwood salary that I've hardly used."

"I know, but we want to," Jackie told her. "Just take some time for yourself to do things that make you feel better. Torchwood will wait until you get back."

Rose smiled a little. "Thanks, Mum. I'll think about what I'd like to do and let you know when I figure it out. Maybe some time off will do me some good."

No more than two days later, Rose found herself loading her bags into a rental car. She had wrapped up everything at Torchwood and gone out for one last drink with Jake and Mickey the night before.

"Why are you leaving?" they had asked.

Rose didn't really know, though, and settled for the simple response that immediately came to mind. "Because I want to."

Her family was here to see her off, now, Pete and Jackie wishing her a safe trip and reminding her to call them when she could, and Tony wrapping his small arms tightly around her legs and reminding her to bring him back a present. Rose laughed and promised that she would do her best to adhere to all of these requests, and then she was in the car and they were disappearing from view in the rearview mirror. Flipping through the radio stations that were preset for the car, she settled on one that played upbeat pop music that she could mostly tune out.

It wasn't until she was well outside of London that Rose pulled over to unfold and examine the road map that was stuffed into the glove compartment. Jackie had been hesitant, to say the least, when Rose had phoned her to say that she wanted to take a car and leave without knowing where she was going, but Rose eventually wore her down and Jackie had agreed. Now, as Rose traced the lines of the roads with her finger, she knew that she would eventually have a destination. That didn't mean that she had to know where she was going, though.

Picking a route to follow at random, Rose pulled the car back onto the road and drove, completely unknowing of what she would find.

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I'm so glad that people are showing interest in this story – I'm really excited to continue working on it. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions, and reviews would be much appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again, dear readers! Thank you so much for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites – they keep me motivated to write, and I greatly appreciate each and every one. I realized during the week that since this story starts after the end of Broadchurch, there WILL BE BROADCHURCH SPOILERS. I have no idea why I didn't think to mention that sooner, so sorry about that! There are no spoilers in this chapter, but there will be in chapter three.**

**Again, sorry I didn't think to mention that at the start, and thank you so much for reading! Enjoy chapter two!**

By the time Rose made it to the lights of a town that she had been driving towards for what felt like forever, rain was falling so hard that she could hardly see out the windshield. She was exhausted – exhausted enough to be able to admit to herself that just driving endlessly without any sort of real plan may not have been the best idea she had ever had. She had stopped at several spots along the way and, the night before, had found herself conveniently caught in the middle of nowhere and had to choose between risking falling asleep at the wheel looking for a town or pulling over and sleeping in the car. Needless to say, she had chosen the latter, and as a result was even more tired and sore than two days of driving would have normally made her. Tonight, she didn't particularly care where she was – she was in a town where she could get out of this damned car and sleep in an actual bed, and that was enough for her. Parking the car outside the first hotel she saw, she didn't even pause to get her luggage out before running through the rain into the bright warmth of the building.

The inside of the hotel was inviting – old, but just enough to be comfortable and not enough to be dated. There were few people around, even for how late it was. Rose only had a few moments to look around, though, before she was greeted by a friendly-looking blonde woman with an Australian accent.

"Hello," Rose replied. "Can I get a room?"

"Sure. How long will you be staying?"

Rose paused, realizing that she hadn't even thought that far ahead. "Put me down for three nights."

"All right. And your name?"

"It's Rose Tyler."

After all the necessary information was exchanged, the woman smiled and handed Rose her room key, asking if she needed help with her luggage.

"Nah, just need to get it out of the car," Rose told her. "Thank you, though –"

"Becca," the woman said. "Just let me know if you need anything. And welcome to Broadchurch, Rose."

By the time Rose retrieved her bags and brought them to her room, she was soaked and shivering and strongly considering a hot bath. Her exhaustion won over, though, and with hardly a glance around her room, she changed into pajama shorts and a loose tank top and crawled into bed. Within seconds of her head hitting the pillow, Rose was fast asleep.

The rain had stopped falling at some point in the night; Rose awoke to silence. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly, momentarily disoriented as she took in the room around her. While not exactly posh, it was at least clean and nicely decorated, and the furniture seemed new. Rolling out of bed, Rose crossed the room to draw back the curtains covering the single window. Sunlight lit up the room, dim and gray as it filtered through the clouds. It looked nice enough outside, and after showering and dressing, Rose went out to explore the town.

She didn't realize how early it was until she began to notice the lack of people and open shops. A quick glance at the time displayed on her phone told her that she had some time to kill before Broadchurch became more active. Sitting in her hotel room didn't exactly sound appealing, and that left her options pretty much narrowed down to one: the beach. Rose hadn't been on a beach since Bad Wolf Bay, she realized with a pang of sadness, and that memory did not particularly make her want to go to the beach now. But it wasn't the same beach, she reminded herself, and the point of this trip was, after all, to figure out how she could start to heal. Maybe a visit to the beach would be good for her. Maybe it would bring back bad memories, but maybe it would also help her move on. She could only hope it would help, at least.

It was just a short drive to the beach. As hopeful as Rose was about beginning to move on, she still found herself sitting in the car several minutes after she had parked, reluctant to risk facing painful memories that she had been deliberately avoiding for years. It was a similar day to that one three years ago, she noticed. Warmer, but the wind would whip her hair the same way and the sky was just as cloudy and the sand would feel the same under her feet. But it wasn't the same. All of that had passed.

Stepping out of the car, Rose paused, breathing in the thick, salty air before starting down the winding path to the beach.

She didn't know what she had expected, really. Had she thought that the moment her feet touched the sand she would fall to the ground in a crumpled, heartbroken mess? Or had she thought that there would be some moment of clarity that would allow her to suddenly become her old, happy self again? She had been expecting some sort of reaction, at least, but it never came – she simply stepped onto the beach like anyone else would have. Memories of Bad Wolf Bay threatened to rise up even more, but Rose pushed them down and forced herself to focus on where she was now. It was a nice beach, really, and she found that she quite liked it as she started to walk along. There was something about the way the high cliffs on one side of her contrasted with the ocean on her other side. There was almost a feeling of sadness about it, but it was peaceful.

Before Rose had walked far, she found herself removing her shoes and rolling up her jeans so she could enjoy the feel of the sand and the water lapping at her feet. She didn't have to think about anything, and she liked that. The gentle noise of the waves and the breeze was enough for her mind to focus on. So just like that, Rose walked along, watching the waves and the footprints she left in the sand and not focusing on any one thing until she looked up and suddenly realized that she was not alone.

A little way down the shore, Rose could see a man standing alone and looking out at the water. He stood perfectly still and seemed completely unaware of her presence, just as she had been unaware of his until now. Rose looked away and continued on her way for a moment before something clicked in her mind and she looked back up at the man. Standing a little closer to him now, she could make out his features more easily, but she still took several more quick steps towards him, sure that she was just imagining it.

"It can't be," she breathed, unaware that she had actually spoken the words that filled her mind.

She had spoken too quietly to be heard at this distance over the waves and the wind, but the man's head snapped up as if he had, and painfully familiar brown eyes bore into hers. But there was no warmth, no recognition, and Rose let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as her hopes came crashing back down. The man looked away again with a mildly annoyed expression, but Rose still could not tear her eyes from him.

It wasn't just a strong resemblance – the man standing in front of her looked _exactly_ like the Doctor. They could have been twins. But what struck Rose as even more odd, though, was that, as she continued to look at him, nearly everything about him seemed to scream just the opposite. No, this man was not the Doctor; the freakish physical resemblance had to be where the similarities ended. His stance was rigid and closed off to her; there was none of the friendly openness that had seemed to resonate from her Doctor. He looked so similar but so different. Finally, Rose looked down and closed her eyes against the sting of tears that had formed very suddenly. Whoever this was, he was not the Doctor. Rose would never see the Doctor again, and the thought was just as painful now as it had been three years ago. Seeing his face on another man just made the pain worse. Very deliberately, Rose took a deep breath and began walking again, not acknowledging the man until she was a few feet from him.

"Nice morning, isn't it?" Her words were as pleasant as she could force them to be, but if the man noticed the strain in her voice, he didn't give any indication of it.

"'Spose so," he replied without looking at her. Rose chided herself for being surprised by his voice – he wasn't the Doctor, and there was no reason she should have expected the Doctor's cheery London accent.

Rose paused for a second, but it was clear that the man did not plan on attempting conversation with her. Without another word, she looked down at the ground and turned to continue on her way. Her steps were no longer leisurely, and she was no longer wrapped up in the feel of the sand or the sound of the waves. She walked to get away, not noticing what was around her and not even aware of how far she had walked. Her stomach growling was what eventually made her stop, reminding her that she had not yet eaten. Walking back the way she came, Rose started to feel a little better as her shock wore off, but the peace that she had at first was still missing. People were beginning to dot the beach – walkers and joggers and families. Muffled conversations and children's shouts now mingled with the waves.

The man was gone by the time Rose returned to where she had seen him, and as she looked that the empty space where he had stood, she couldn't help but feel silly. Of course he wasn't the Doctor – he couldn't have been, and there was no reason for her to think otherwise for more than a second after she first saw him. But she had let herself hold onto her hope for their entire meeting, and she had done so foolishly.

Rose had been gone longer than she had meant to be, she realized as she returned to town to find the streets bustling. Her stomach growled again, as if to mention that it was now almost lunchtime and she still hadn't eaten. Spotting a diner across the street, Rose made a beeline for it, figuring that she would have plenty of time later to discover the best places to eat. Right now, anywhere that sold food seemed good enough.

A bell tinkled as she pushed open the door, the small sound lost in the mix of voices chatting and the music playing in the background. Rose glanced around and, seeing an empty table, was about to sit down when her eyes came to rest elsewhere. For a moment, she considered just leaving the diner and finding someplace else to eat, but she quickly decided that this was unreasonable. Instead, she carefully wove her way through the tables to where the man who wore the Doctor's face sat, taking the empty chair across from him as he looked up at her.

"Hello," she greeted, feeling a little awkward as she remembered that this man was a complete stranger. "Listen," she continued quickly as he opened his mouth to say something. "I just wanted to apologize for the… staring… earlier. You look exactly like an old friend of mine and it surprised me, but I realized that I must have seemed really rude, so…" Rose cleared her throat. "So I just wanted to apologize."

"Don't worry about it," the man said quickly, looking back down at the newspaper he had been reading and clearly waiting for Rose to go away.

"I'm Rose, by the way." The words were coming out of her mouth before she could stop them. "Rose Tyler."

"Alec Hardy," the man muttered in return.

They were interrupted, then, as a waitress stopped to ask if she could get Rose anything. "Oh, no," Rose said quickly, "I'm actually sitting at that table there." The waitress left and Rose stood to leave, Alec glancing up as she did. "I'll let you go, now," she said, smiling a little. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Alec said.

With nothing else to say, Rose returned to her table, still feeling a little silly but mostly feeling better. She had apologized, and it was over and done with. And in a couple days, she'd move on from Broadchurch and she would never have to see Alec Hardy again.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! Just a reminder: starting now, there WILL BE BROADCHURCH SPOILERS. Don't want to ruin it for anyone! Thank you so much for reading, and for reviewing, following, and adding the story to your favorites. It means a lot to me. Enjoy the chapter!**

Rose sat at the hotel bar that night, chatting with Becca and sipping a glass of wine. She had been telling Becca about the places she had been that day, and Becca was suggesting places for her to see tomorrow and telling her about the town. Rose had found that she liked Broadchurch quite a bit, and with all of Becca's suggestions, she could easily stay a day or two longer than she had planned. Becca was in the middle of telling her about the hotel's history when they heard the door open, and in walked none other than Alec Hardy.

"Hello, Inspector," Becca called. "Care to join us for a drink?"

"Perhaps another night," Alec replied.

Rose gave him a friendly smile, to which he responded with a nod of recognition, and then he was gone.

"Is he staying here, too?" Rose asked with surprise after he had gone.

Becca nodded. "Don't mind him. He comes off as rude, but he's just a little rough around the edges. Certainly can't blame him for that."

Rose took another sip of her wine. "Why's that?"

Becca lowered her voice. "Just because of everything that's happened with the Latimer case and all. Lord knows no one in this town has ever treated him particularly well, either."

"Sorry, the Latimer case?"

Becca stopped and looked at Rose. "Yeah, the Latimer case. Isn't that why you lot have been coming here? See the beach where the body was found and all that? Bit morbid for a vacation, if you ask me."

Rose shook her head. "I think I remember hearing something about the Latimer case, but I don't know anything about it, and I'm certainly not here to see where it all happened."

Becca hummed thoughtfully. "Sorry about that, then. I thought that everyone had heard of the case, what with it being such big news. Guess it's just put all of us here a little on edge. The investigation nearly tore the town apart."

"I've been pretty involved in my work – wouldn't be surprised if I missed quite a bit," Rose reasoned. "What happened?"

"A local boy was murdered. They found his body on the beach. Hardy was the DI on the case, and no one here really trusted him. Then as the investigation went on, we started to not trust each other, too." She sighed tiredly, as if just thinking about it took a heavy emotional toll. Rose knew that feeling. "It was a hard time. But it's over now, and the town is starting to heal."

"That sounds terrible. I'm sorry to hear about it," Rose said genuinely.

"Me, too. But, like I said, we're finally starting to be able to move past it."

When Rose returned to her room a short time later, she plopped down onto the bed, cross-legged, and pulled out her laptop. Bringing up a search engine, she typed the words "Broadchurch Latimer murder." The cursor sat blinking on the screen, waiting for her to click the search button, but she hesitated. It truly did sound awful, and judging from Becca's reaction, it had been terribly traumatic for the whole town. Would she treat the people here differently if she knew all about what had happened? Would she turn into one of those tourists who came to gawk at the murder scene and the people involved in the case?

Rose closed her laptop. Maybe she didn't really want to know.

The next day passed in a blur of activity. Rose spent the day driving to some of the local spots that Becca had suggested she see and doing a bit of shopping in town. There was a surprising amount to see in the town, in Rose's opinion, though she supposed that the same could be said for any town if anyone actually took the time to look into it. Many people tended to focus on the big stuff – they experienced the main tourist attractions and then moved on. But Rose was slowing down, talking to locals, really trying to experience the town to its fullest. This was the kind of travel that Rose liked the best. The Doctor had always been good at this kind of travel. They had gone to the big tourist attractions, sure, but the Doctor had always made sure to talk to the locals and pursue the authentic experience (usually this was what got them into trouble, but that was part of the fun).

There was something about Broadchurch that Rose loved, too. Maybe it was just because the relative peace of a small town was a nice change from the constant bustle of London. Maybe it was because, like her, the town was healing. The people here were recovering from what she gathered was a deeply terrible ordeal. They were learning to move on and be happy, just as Rose needed to learn to find happiness in her new life. Of course she still wanted to continue her travels, but she wasn't in any particular hurry.

Rose awoke the following morning with her day, and even the rest of her stay in Broadchurch, completely planned out. She had arranged with Becca to stay a few nights more than she had originally intended, giving her enough time to leisurely experience the town and accomplish the local sight-seeing in addition to some time to relax before moving on to wherever she ended up next (she had her map spread out on the desk in her hotel room and was already beginning to trace the roads leading out of Broadchurch to see where they went).

But by the time she stepped out into the street, ready to go, she found the thought of planned adventures unbearable. Maybe tomorrow could be planned out, but today she didn't want a plan. So instead, she simply started walking, going down whatever street she wanted, stopping in any shop that looked interesting and even ones that didn't. She didn't even consider turning around until she was well into a residential area, and even then she couldn't make herself do so with any sort of urgency. For a while, then, she just walked around looking at the houses, watching children play in the street and people go about their daily lives, wondering if she would ever heal enough to have this sort of life – the normal sort where she could fall in love again and have a family and not spend her life trying to do the impossible to get back to an alien in another universe. Honestly, though, Rose was not convinced that normalcy would ever be that much a part of her life.

Rose was jarred from her thoughts by a slight commotion in front of her, looking up to see a woman struggling to lift a box from a moving van. Hurrying to help her without a thought, Rose grabbed onto the other side of the heavy box just as the woman started to lose her grip.

"Thanks," the woman said, laughing a little as she peeked around the box to see who had helped her.

"No problem," Rose said easily. "Where do you want this?"

"Just over here is fine for now," the woman replied, leading them through the open front door of the house and finding a clear space where they could set the box down. The entryway of the house was piled high with boxes, and furniture was haphazardly placed in the rooms that Rose could see from where she stood.

"Thanks again," the woman said, dusting off her hands. "I think that was the last heavy one. 'Course unpacking's the hard part."

"'Course. I'm Rose, by the way." Rose held out her hand, and the woman shook it amiably.

"Ellie. Nice to meet you, Rose."

"So, are you new to Broadchurch, then?" Rose asked. Ellie shook her head, and Rose recognized the expression on her face – it was the same one she wore when she didn't want to talk about something. "Just time for a change of scenery, then?" Rose said quickly, and Ellie smiled a little, looking relieved.

"Yeah."

"Do you need any help with all this?" Rose asked, gesturing to the stacks of boxes around her and knowing there were still more to be unloaded. It seemed overwhelming, to say the least, for one person to handle, and there was something about Ellie that was so friendly that Rose knew instantly that she liked her.

Ellie opened her mouth to answer, but before she could the front door opened. "All right, Miller, even you have to agree that the amount of stuff here is a bit much for three people –" Alec paused when he saw Rose. "Fancy seeing you here, Miss Tyler." He almost sounded a little amused. "Making new friends?"

"Looks like you're the one making new friends, Alec," Ellie returned. "Though you can't have known her long if she's still friends with you," she added jokingly. Rose stifled a laugh.

"I was just walking by and saw that Ellie needed help carrying something," she explained before turning back to Ellie. "I'll get going, since you have the Inspector here to help. It was lovely meeting you."

"Don't leave on my account," Alec said a little too quickly. Rose looked at him, eyebrows raised, and he continued, "What I mean is, ah, if you're a friend of Ellie's, I'm sure she'd appreciate another pair of hands."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Alec, don't make the poor girl feel obligated to help me move," Ellie chastised. "We've only just met, and you are not getting out of this by making someone else help instead of you, so get to it."

"I can stay if you need the help," Rose said quietly, and both Alec and Ellie turned to look at her. "I don't mind. I didn't have anything else planned for today."

Ellie looked between Rose and Alec a little skeptically, the shrugged. "Well, if you really want to, the extra help would be great. My two boys are with my nephew today, but as soon as they get home, they'll be pulling everything out of the boxes and it will be impossible to get sorted. So if we can get as much as possible done today that would be perfect."

Rose spent the morning working, at Ellie's careful direction, unloading the rest of the boxes from the truck and taking them from the entryway to the room where they belonged, rearranging furniture, and unpacking some things for Ellie to put away. Alec remained mostly quiet after explaining how he and Rose had met the other day, though occasionally Rose noticed Ellie quietly say something to him, to which he would reply insistently, "I don't know what you're talking about."

All of Rose's conversations with Ellie were pleasant, though. Ellie told Rose about her two boys, Tom and Fred, and they found much common ground in their talk of travelling – Ellie had recently returned from a trip with the boys. "We just needed to get out of town for a little while," she explained, and Rose nodded, saying that she understood the feeling perfectly.

"So, what brings you to Broadchurch?" Ellie asked eventually while Rose was unpacking dishes and handing them to her to put away.

"Just visiting for a while," Rose replied. "I used to travel a lot, but I got really tied up in my job for a while and needed to get away again, so I just started driving and ended up here."

"That sounds lovely," Ellie smiled. "Where did you used to travel?"

Rose grinned. "Oh, all over the world."

The day passed in a blur of activity and conversation, and suddenly Rose found herself seated at a pub table between Ellie and Alec, all three of them slumped in exhaustion as they picked at their food, Ellie having suggested they end the day with an early dinner.

Ellie's phone buzzed, then, and she looked down at the screen. "Looks like I've got to go," she said apologetically. "I've got to meet Olly to pick up the boys. Rose, thank you so much for helping today. It was lovely talking with you, especially when I was thinking I'd be spending the whole day with this one, here," she teased, nodding at Alec, who gave her an annoyed look. "I hope to see you around more before you leave – maybe we can get coffee tomorrow if you have time, yeah?"

"I'd love to, Ellie."

"Good. You have my number, just give me a ring and we'll figure something out. Thanks for helping, too, Alec. Rest up. Have a good night, both of you."

They sat in silence for a moment after Ellie left, not exactly awkwardly but not exactly companionably, until Alec cleared his throat.

"How long are you planning on staying in Broadchurch, then?"

"I don't know," Rose said thoughtfully, sipping her drink. "Until I feel ready to move on, I suppose. That's how I used to travel, back when I was traveling with my friend – no plan and a new place whenever we felt like it."

"So, does that kind of travel often induce you to spend an entire day helping a complete stranger?"

"Sometimes. Or maybe I just enjoyed Ellie's company because I'm alone here and haven't spent much time with my own friends lately, and I'm starting to realize that I feel lonely." Rose said this lightly, but Alec didn't miss the honesty in her voice.

"And how have you liked it here so far?"

"I've liked it very much. It seems very peaceful, and I like the sense of community." Rose hesitated. "I… Becca told me a little about the Latimer case."

"I had assumed that you knew about it."

Rose shook her head. "I was… really caught up in my job for a long time and wasn't following the news. I hadn't even heard of it until I came here. It sounds like it was hard on you, but it also sounds like you did a really good job."

"I'm sure there are relatively few people who think so," Alec said. "But thank you." Leaning back in his chair he folded his arms across his chest. "So now that you know about my job, it's your turn to tell me what you do."

Rose leaned forward, giving him a cheeky smile. "Are you interrogating me, Inspector?"

"I'm just interested, especially since it's apparently kept you so distracted from the rest of the world."

"I worked for a branch of government security. What I did was mostly scientific research."

Alec raised his eyebrows. "Mostly?"

"Sometimes my work needed to be a little more… hands-on," Rose said with a shrug.

Alec seemed impressed. "Sounds like some serious work. Easy to get caught-up in."

"Very easy," Rose agreed. "That's why I'm here now – I 'spose I sort of forgot how to have a life apart from my work and need to take a while to remember."

For the first time that evening, Alec cracked a small smile. "I certainly know the feeling."

The conversation began to flow more easily from there, mostly confined to talk of Broadchurch and work and travel (always just vague stories on Rose's end, but Alec hardly seemed to mind – neither ever pressed the other to tell more.) Eventually, Alec glanced down at his watch and sighed, saying that it was late and that he would walk her back to Trader's if that was ok with her.

"I know it's only a couple blocks," he added quickly. "But we're both going back there anyway, so I just figured –"

"I'd like to walk back with you," Rose told him, and he looked a little relieved. "What, did you think I was going to say no and that I couldn't be rid of you soon enough?" she teased.

"Maybe not, but I've come across plenty of people who would say that."

"Well, I can assure you that I am not one of those people," Rose smiled as they stood and she followed him out of the pub.

Most of the short walk back to the hotel passed in easy silence. Alec walked with Rose all the way to her hotel room, standing awkwardly away from her as she unlocked the door and clearly wondering why he had followed her this far instead of returning to his own room as soon as they had arrived at the hotel.

"Would you… like to come in and have a cuppa?" Rose asked, hesitating in the doorway. "I've got an electric kettle."

"Nah. I'll just… get going. Have a good night, Miss Tyler," Alec said hastily, turning to leave until Rose's hand on his arm stopped him.

"You can call me Rose, you know," she said with a warm smile. "And you're welcome to join us for coffee tomorrow, if you'd like. I don't think Ellie'd mind."

"Don't think I'll be able to make it tomorrow," Alec said apologetically. "But I, ah, I'd enjoy grabbing a cuppa with you before you leave town, if that's all right."

"I'd like that. Goodnight, Inspector."

"Goodnight, Rose."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hello, dearest readers! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites – every single one means a lot to me. Enjoy the chapter!**

Rose woke early the next morning to a text from Ellie and typed a quick reply saying that she'd meet her at the coffee shop in half an hour. Dressing quickly and putting on a bit of makeup, she was out the door in no time, exchanging a quick "good morning" with Becca on her way out of Trader's. The coffee shop wasn't far away, and it took Rose only a few minutes to walk there. Ellie gave Rose a little wave as she walked in, the bell above the door tinkling, and they quickly ordered their drinks and took a seat at a table by the window.

"Morning," Rose greeted. "You're out early."

"I hope this wasn't too early for you," Ellie said apologetically. "It's just that I need to be at the hospital later and I'm not sure how long it'll take."

Rose's brow furrowed. "I hope it's nothing serious."

Ellie shook her head. "It's fine. Alec's just having a procedure done and I want to check up on him." Even as Ellie said this, she looked a little worried.

"Oh." Rose nearly asked what the procedure was but stopped herself, reminding herself that she had only just met these people and it was really none of her business. "You must be worried about him. You seem like good friends."

"I suppose so." Ellie laughed. "Weren't always, though. I thought he was an arse when we met – and he is, mind you – but I guess if you're forced to tolerate someone for long enough, you kinda learn to like them."

"I can see you two being at odds," Rose giggled. "Don't think I'd want to get between you in an argument."

"Probably not. I win most of them, though." Ellie gave her a small smile. "He likes you, you know. He's got a funny way of showing it, but he's much ruder to people he doesn't like."

"That's hard to imagine," Rose laughed.

"Like I said, he's got a funny way of showing affection. You could come with me today if you want – he might appreciate having more than one person visit."

"Won't his family be there?"

Ellie shook her head. "He… doesn't really have anyone."

"Oh." Rose sighed. "I don't know, Ellie. Don't you think it's a bit too personal? I mean, I don't really know him well or anything."

"I don't think it'd bother him," Ellie said. "And with the boys, I might not be able to stay and visit long. Even just a quick visit would be fine. Believe it or not, he does enjoy having company when the person is someone he likes. Of course, this is your vacation, and I can definitely understand not wanting to spend your time in the hospital."

Rose shrugged. "I'm not in any particular hurry to leave Broadchurch – I can always just extend my trip a little. I wouldn't mind keeping Alec company for a while."

"I think that'd be nice. Thanks, Rose."

"Don't mention it," Rose smiled. "It's not a problem at all."

Rose and Ellie continued chatting for a while before Ellie was inevitably called away. Bidding Rose goodbye and saying that they'd have to do this again before she left town, Ellie hurried off, already answering her phone. Rose watched her new friend go, a little struck by how hectic her life seemed to be. Her job was demanding, of course, but on top of that she was managing to raise two boys on her own, and now she also had Alec to worry about. Ellie really was an impressive woman. If she thought it would be good for Rose to visit Alec, maybe it would be. Drinking the last sip of her coffee, Rose headed out into the now-lively streets, pausing when she felt her phone vibrate in her purse.

"Hi, Mum," Rose answered after Jackie's phone number had lit up the screen.

"_Rose, sweetheart, how are you? You haven't called in a couple of days."_

"I'm fine, Mum. How's everything at home?"

"_Oh, it's the same. How's travelling? Where are you now?"_

"I'm actually still in Broadchurch," Rose said. "I'll probably stay here a few more days – the town's nice and I've made some friends here."

"_That's lovely, dear. You make friends wherever you go."_ Rose could hear the smile in Jackie's voice. _"Any idea where you're headed to next?"_

"I'm thinking about heading north, maybe eventually into Scotland." A car passed Rose, obscuring Jackie's next words. "What was that, Mum?"

"_I asked how you're feeling, Rose."_

Rose shrugged, even though Jackie couldn't see it over the phone. "Feel fine. It's been nice meetin' new people, and I think the change of scenery really is just what I needed. It's been good to get away for a while, y'know?"

"_I'm glad to hear that. We miss you here, and Pete said to tell you that Torchwood is practically falling apart without you."_

"I'm sure they're handling everything just fine without me," Rose said with a laugh. "But I miss you, too."

"_These new friends of yours, are they nice? Have they been showing you around?"_

"They are nice. They've shown me around a little, but they're pretty busy with their own lives. It is nice to have someone to meet for drinks or dinner, though."

"_That's good. I was concerned you'd get lonely with all this travelling, but I guess I didn't need to worry. Well, I just wanted to call and see how everything's going."_

"It's good to hear from you, Mum. Tell everyone I say hi, and give Tony a big hug for me."

"_I'll do that. Don't forget to call once in a while, sweetheart. I love you."_

"I love you too, Mum. I'll call you later."

Hanging up, Rose sighed and continued walking. Maybe "nice" hadn't been quite the right word to describe Alec, but she hadn't wanted to get into that right now, or ever, if she could help it. Explaining to Jackie that she had befriended a man who was the Doctor's double probably would have been more worrisome to her mother than anything else. But soon enough she would move on from Broadchurch and it wouldn't matter anymore, so, really, there was no reason to worry her mother over nothing.

Rose spent a few more hours just strolling around town and the beach, making sure to stop by some of the places that Becca had recommended. By that afternoon, though, she had done everything she had wanted to do that day and had subsequently run out of excuses to visit Alec. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him, of course. He was grumpy and awkward, but in a way that was sort of endearing in an odd way, and Rose had enjoyed spending time with him the night before once they figured out something to actually talk about. And, if she was completely honest with herself, she wanted to see him again. That was the problem.

What if it wasn't Alec whose company she was really enjoying? What if she was trying to project the Doctor onto him, and that was why she liked him? Rose shook off the thought. Alec was so different from the Doctor, and she was able to recognize those differences. They were different people who happened to wear the same face. She liked Alec because he was Alec, not because of any resemblance he bore to the Doctor, she told herself. And anyway, she was probably making the whole thing much more complicated than it needed to be. They could spend some time together and be friends, and in a few days she would move on from Broadchurch, and that would be that.

Rose did not like hospitals. She doubted that anyone really did, but she especially disliked them. The years at Torchwood had resulted in enough trips to various hospitals and infirmaries, both for herself and her friends, to give her a natural wariness (not to mention the whole cat nun, possessed-by-a-bitchy-trampoline situation). But she went anyway, finding her way to the room number that Ellie had texted her. Poking her head through the door, she nearly turned around and left again. Ellie must have already been there, because the room was empty except for Alec, who was sleeping. She felt a stab of something that was not quite pity and not quite affection, though, that made her walk into the room and quietly sit down in the chair beside the bed.

Thinking back to her various visits to the hospital over the past few years, Rose realized that whether she was there for something serious or something minor, there was always one constant – her family. Either Pete or Jackie had been there every single time, making sure she would be ok and that she had everything she needed. Mickey and Jake were usually there, too, if something hadn't landed them in the bed next to hers. Sometimes, for the minor incidents, even Tony would be there. Alec must have family around somewhere, Rose knew, but they weren't here. And with apparently only one good friend, things must get pretty lonely for him.

Before she knew what she was doing, Rose reached for his hand and took it in hers, careful not to disturb the I.V.

"I know you worry too much, Ellie, but there's really no need for hand-holding." Alec's grumbled words startled Rose, and she jerked her hand away and jumped to her feet.

"Sorry, I just… I don't know what I was thinking –" Rose stood as the words tumbled out, feeling herself turn bright red as Alec turned his head to look at her.

"Oh, Rose! I thought…" Rose could swear that she saw a blush tinge his cheeks as well as he cleared his throat. "…I thought you were Ellie."

"Yeah, sorry, she just suggested that I come by, but I can leave if you want."

"No, no, you're fine," Alec said, propping himself up so he was closer to sitting. "I just wasn't expecting you."

Rose sat back down. "How are you feeling?" she asked after a moment.

"Fine," Alec shrugged. "It's nothing, really."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I've been to a lot of hospitals, Inspector – my best mate is even dating a doctor – and I've never seen or heard of anyone being hospitalized for nothing."

"It really isn't anything," Alec insisted. "Just got a pacemaker."

"That doesn't sound like nothing."

"Well, it is."

They sat in silence for a minute before Rose spoke again. "When are you busting out of here, then?"

"I should be out tomorrow." Alec sighed, annoyed. "Not soon enough – I bloody hate hospitals."

"Me, too," Rose laughed. "Can't stand 'em. And Ellie'll be picking you up?"

"Nah. She can't get away from the station. Can't say I envy her – doctors say I won't be back at work for at least a week or two, and I'm looking forward to the time off."

"I didn't know Ellie's a cop." Rose's brow furrowed when Alec gave her an odd look. "What? People around here just look at me like I should know these things, and I don't. Is that so bad? Are people offended?"

To Rose's surprise, Alec chuckled. "Some people are offended, I imagine, but mostly it's just unexpected. People in this town have gotten used to the unwanted attention. It's definitely not a bad thing, though. Actually, it's really nice to…" he cleared his throat again, "…be around someone who doesn't know every miserable detail about my life and every mistake I've ever made."

Rose smiled. "I know exactly what you mean." She held his gaze for a moment too long and quickly looked down. "So Ellie isn't picking you up tomorrow, but someone else will be, right?" Alec hesitated, and Rose sighed. "Alec, you can't drive yourself anywhere and you know it. I'll drive you."

"You really don't need to –"

"I'll drive you," Rose repeated firmly. "It's dangerous and reckless for you to try to drive yourself, and you're in no condition to walk, and don't say you'll be fine."

Alec wrinkled his nose. "Are you always this stubborn?"

"Are you?" Rose replied, and Alec couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Fair enough. I do hope, though, that you're not putting your vacation aside for me."

Rose waved as if brushing the idea aside. "Nah. In fact, driving people home from the hospital is my idea of a perfect vacation. Besides, the point of this trip was to not be on any sort of time limit. I can stay where I please for as long as I please."

"And they won't miss you at your job? It sounds like you were pretty essential if you were as caught up in your work as you say your were."

"They won't miss me too much – I've left them in capable hands. And… my stepdad kind of runs everything around there," she admitted sheepishly. "Which makes me sound like I just use the connection to get special privileges, but, really, it just means that he'll make sure I stay well away from work until he's convinced I'm ready to go back."

Alec frowned. "Until he's convinced you're ready to go back? What, did they force you to leave?"

"Not exactly. There was this… project. I had invested the last three years of my life into it, and when I say I was invested, I mean I was _really_ invested. I was hardly eating, hardly sleeping, spending most nights at the office working on it. But, in the end, we just weren't making progress, and the project wasn't sustainable anymore, and my stepdad had to break the news to me that they were shutting it down."

"Must've been hard on you."

"To say the least," Rose said with a half-laugh. "That was a couple of months ago, and it still hurts to think about. My entire life depended on the success of this project, and when it was gone, I just didn't know what to do. It was like, all of a sudden, I had nothing to hope for, nothing to work towards. I tried to keep going, to be content with how things worked out, but nothing seemed to matter very much." Rose looked up to see Alec watching her carefully, and she quickly looked back down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to let all that spill out. I guess I just haven't really talked about it."

"I don't mind," Alec said, adding seriously, "I mean, I do feel like we've become closer now that we've held hands, and all."

Rose laughed and looked back up to see him smiling, too. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

"Not a chance, Rose Tyler."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello, my lovely readers! As usual, thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows – you guys seriously make my day! I'm sorry if my updates get a little more sporadic. School is keeping me really busy, and I have a lot of other stuff going on at the moment, but I will try my hardest to continue updating as regularly as I have so far. Enjoy the (very fluffy) chapter!**

Rose did not stay at the hospital much longer before a nurse came and wheeled Alec away to conduct some tests. But, by mid-morning the next day, she returned as promised to pick him up, despite his still grumbling about not needed to be coddled.

"Thanks for this," he said a little reluctantly as they climbed into Rose's car. "You really didn't have to, but thanks."

"Not a problem," Rose grinned. "So, clean bill of health, then?"

"It would appear so."

"And how are you feeling?"

"Tired of answering questions."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Are you always such a pain?"

"Is that what you think of me? I'm wounded," Alec said with feigned shock, moving to place his hand over his heart but cringing at the movement and letting his hand fall back down at his side. This didn't escape Rose's notice.

"Sore, then, are you?"

"Just a bit."

"Alec, you did just have surgery," Rose sighed. "If you think you're impressing me by downplaying everything –"

"Who says I'm trying to impress you?" Alec defended.

"Well, I don't know! The point is that you can't just ignore this and decide you're fine, because you're not – you still need to heal, and you need to take care of yourself."

"I can take care of myself just bloody fine, thank you very much."

Rose decided it was best just to let the topic drop, and for a minute they rode in silence. "I talked to Ellie last night," she said eventually.

Alec let out a breath. "So I've got two of you trying to mother me now? Fantastic."

Ignoring his comment, Rose continued. "She said she'll be by to check in with you sometime tonight, and that you'd better get well soon before the station falls apart without you. She also said something about how you're a good man and I should try to put up with you."

Alec's eyebrows shot up. "Ellie said that?"

"Well, her exact words were, 'I know he's a bastard, but if you can get past that, he's tolerable.'"

"I figured it was something more along those lines," Alec chuckled. "'Spose she's right, though."

Rose shrugged. "I don't know – you seem alright to me. A little grumpy, sure, but not completely intolerable." She shot him a tongue-touched grin.

"Thanks for that. It's always nice to hear that I'm not completely intolerable. You're not too bad, yourself, aside from the never-ending list of questions you seem to have," Alec said, returning her smile.

"I do believe that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Inspector," Rose teased, pulling the car off the road to park near Trader's. They climbed out of the car – Alec a little stiffly – and headed inside together, Rose slowing her pace to match Alec's. "And speaking of my never-ending list of questions, you've lived in Broadchurch for quite a while, yeah? So what're you still doing living in a hotel?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Alec said, fishing through his pocket for his room key. "Don't think I was planning on staying here long at first. Then I just never really got around to moving – other things kept getting in the way, like this bloody surgery. Now that's taken care of, so I suppose I ought to start looking for a place."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to start your search, what with your time off from work." Alec unlocked the door, hesitating in the doorway. "I'll see you later, then, Inspector," Rose smiled, starting to turn away.

"Rose."

Rose paused. "Yeah?"

"I was just thinking… that is, if you don't have plans… well, I know I'm probably completely out of line for asking…" He ran a hand through his hair, growing more and more agitated as she watched.

"Don't hurt yourself, Alec," Rose teased, earning herself a look that was half frustration and half amusement. "You know, I don't really have plans for today, and it looks like it's about to get pretty stormy. Today would be a good day to just stay in and watch movies or something."

The tension began to release from Alec's shoulders as he realized the opening she was giving him. "Would you want to stay in with me for a while?" he asked hesitantly. "Of course it's completely fine if you don't," he hastily added. "I understand not wanting to spend time with me. And then there's the fact that we only met a few days ago, and you probably don't want to be alone with a man you don't know, even though I _am_ a cop. Although I suppose anyone could say they were a cop –"

"Blimely, Alec, what kind of painkillers do they have you on?" Rose laughed.

"Am I rambling?"

"Yeah, a bit." With a grin, Rose walked past him into his room. "Shall we see what's on the telly, then?"

When Ellie arrived at the hotel that evening with dinner in one hand and the other clutching her jacket around her in a vain attempt to fight against the rain, she had to smile at the sight that greeted her. Alec was propped up in bed with Rose sitting cross-legged beside him. The television was on, showing some sort of old science fiction movie, but Alec's full attention was on Rose, who was talking animatedly – something about how traveling through a vortex to another planet was quite possible, but how she couldn't imagine anyone would survive the trip by simply jumping straight into said vortex with no space ship or any other form of protection. Alec hardly looked up when Ellie entered, but Rose paused in her explanation to give her a warm smile in greeting.

"Ellie, you made it!"

"Barely," Ellie laughed. "Nearly drowned in the storm out there. How are you feeling, Alec?"

"I'm fine, Ellie," Alec griped. "I've had this one asking me that every five minutes all day," he added, nodding to Rose.

"Good – I warned her she'd need to keep a close eye on you."

"You're the one who invited me in, Inspector," Rose pointed out. "And you haven't asked me to leave yet."

"'Yet' being the operative word there," Alec grumbled. "Not sure I can stand having you both here at once."

"You like having us here, and you know it," Ellie said, sitting down beside them on the edge of the bed and passing around the sandwiches she had brought. "There's no use pretending otherwise. You were obviously enjoying yourselves when I got here."

"Ah, yes. We stumbled upon a science fiction movie marathon earlier, and I've been listening to Rose pick them all apart. Her commentary is much better than the actual movies."

Rose shrugged. "Can't help it. I've picked up a lot of science and stuff over the years. It was kind of part of my job description."

"Speaking of jobs, how's everything at the station, Ellie?"

"Everything's fine, Alec, don't worry. We're holding up fine without you. Only a couple of minor things, today – vandalism was the most serious thing we dealt with. It looks like we might survive until you get back."

They chatted for a while longer while they ate, Ellie pointedly steering the conversation away from work. Rose had missed talking to friends like this, she realized. Sure, she had talked to Mickey and Jake plenty over the years – before she came to Broadchurch, they were her only real friends in this universe in an upsettingly literal way – but even for them she hadn't been able to completely let go of her focus and sadness and just have a good time. But now, with Ellie and Alec, she was smiling and laughing, feeling genuinely happy to be here with them. She felt sort of free from her past – she didn't want to lie about it, or pretend that it didn't happen, but at least it didn't feel so burdensome all the time. Rose made a mental note to talk to Becca the next day and see if she could keep her room any longer. She didn't really want to leave so soon.

Eventually, Ellie checked her watch and sighed. "I need to get home," she said apologetically. "I haven't seen Tom and Fred since I dropped them off at school this morning, and I told the nanny I'd be home to put them to bed. Alec, get some rest. Rose, I'll talk to you later. Just give me a call if he becomes too much to handle, and make sure to let me know if you're planning on leaving town soon – I definitely want to go out with you again before you go."

Rose smiled. "I'll let you know. Have a good night, Ellie, and thanks for dinner."

Ellie left, and it was just Rose and Alec again. Alec sank back against the pillows, and Rose did the same, turning her head to look at him.

"Tired?" she asked.

"Stop asking how I'm feeling."

"I'll take that as a yes." Rose stifled a yawn. "It's ok, I'm tired, too. I could fall asleep right here." Alec didn't say anything, and for a minute the only sounds were the quiet hum of the television and the pounding of the rain against the window. "Alec, can I ask you something kind of personal?" Rose asked quietly.

Alec gave an amused chuckle. "You've been asking me questions all day, and you're just asking for permission now? Ask away."

"It's just that, well, Ellie's always seemed very level-headed to me, and I can tell she's really worried about you. I mean, she doesn't really strike me as the type to worry so much over something that's apparently a nonissue to you. So what's she so worried about? Is there more than just the pacemaker procedure?"

Alec sighed, and for a moment Rose thought he wasn't going to answer her. His voice was resigned when he spoke. "You're right. Ellie may worry over things that I wouldn't worry about, but she's not the type to worry over nothing. I put off this procedure for quite a while, for various reasons. Once I was put on the Latimer case – that's when I started getting really sick, and I even landed in the hospital twice – I needed to see the case through. I couldn't give it up." Rose nodded, silently urging him to continue. "But I was also putting it off because the doctors weren't sure if I'd survive."

Rose sat up at this so she could meet Alec's gaze fully. She started to speak, but Alec continued before she could.

"So, yes, I did go into the surgery not knowing if it would work or if I'd face all sorts of complications or if I'd even come out at all. Ellie knew the risks, and that's why she's been so worried about it."

Rose's brow furrowed. "Alec, how can you just act like that's nothing? Do you really feel indifferent about whether you live or die?"

"No, I'm not indifferent. I'm happy that it went well and that I'm alive."

"Then, what, you just don't want people to worry about you?"

"I guess I don't really know how to answer that," Alec admitted with a shrug. "At this point, everything's fine, and worrying about how it might not have been fine doesn't make much sense to me."

"I can see that," Rose said thoughtfully. "But you really are fine, right? You aren't just downplaying this, too?"

Alec gave Rose a gentle smile. "I really am fine. It might take a while to fully recover, and I'll have to be pretty intentional about watching for signs of complications, but it would appear that everything is fine now."

Giving him a smile of her own, Rose lay down again. "Good. And I promise I'll stop asking how you're feeling so often if you promise to let someone know if something's wrong."

"Agreed." Alec held out his hand and Rose shook it. "Now, it only seems fair that you tell me something about yourself."

Rose gave him a cheeky grin. "Still trying to interrogate me, Inspector?"

Alec shook his head. "Nah, the usual methods have failed. Now I'm just resorting to blackmail."

"Oh, if that's all," Rose laughed. She hummed thoughtfully for a moment. "Well, I grew up on an estate with just my mum. Dropped out of school for a boy who, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a complete tosser. Worked in a shop for a while, then spent a few years travelling with a friend."

"The friend whom I look like?" Alec asked, then chuckled a little. "Don't look so surprised that I remembered. It's not every day that a complete stranger stares at me then says I look just like someone she knows."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, it was him."

"And were you…" Alec fumbled a little, looking for the right word, "…together?"

"Yes and no," Rose sighed. "It's complicated."

Rose expected Alec to ask her to elaborate, but instead he simply accepted her answer and asked, "What happened to him?"

Though she had tried to keep her tone light, this sobered Rose. "That's getting a bit personal, don't you think? I mean, all you told me is that you could have died getting your pacemaker," she added with a small, half-hearted laugh.

"You're right, sorry," Alec said quickly.

"It's ok. I just don't like talking about it, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

They lay there for a while longer, watching telly and listening to the rain outside. They weren't lying particularly close together – the bed was large enough to fit both of them comfortable, and there were a few good inches between them. Even so, Rose felt the intimacy of the moment. It was quiet and peaceful and easy, and it felt so wonderful. Soon she was crawling under the quilt to stay warm, and Alec did not protest. They didn't talk much. Most of the day had been spent conversing, and now they had settled into a comfortable silence.

When Alec felt himself about to drift off, he looked over to find Rose already asleep. When she woke the next morning in the same place, she'd scold him lightly, telling him that he should have woken her so she could have gone back to sleep in her own room. But, honestly, he didn't care. She was sound asleep and perfectly serene and, he had to admit to himself, it was sort of nice having her here with him. Her presence was comforting. So, instead of waking her, Alec switched off the television and turned off the light, quickly falling asleep himself.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello, dearest readers! Thanks to everyone who reviewed or added the story to your follows or favorites – it encourages me so much! Enjoy the chapter!**

The rain continued through the night and only fell harder in the morning, but it wasn't the sound of the rain that woke Rose. Still half-asleep, it took her a moment to realize that the noise was her phone ringing. Her purse was close enough for her to grab, and she dug through it until she pulled out her phone, answering it without noticing who was calling.

"Hello?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. She was a little more awake, now – awake enough to realize that not only was she still fully clothed, she was also still in Alec's hotel room. A glance over her shoulder found him still asleep, and she climbed out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake him.

"_Rose, it's Mickey."_

"Mickey, it's good to hear from you. Is everything ok?" Rose asked quietly.

"_Everything's fine – Pete just put me up to asking you for a little favor. Why, is everything ok with you?"_

"'Course it is, but now's not really a good time. Can I call you back?"

"_No need, this will only take a second. The town you're in, it's called Broadchurch, right? Are you still there?"_

"Yeah, I'm still in Broadchurch." Rose noticed Alec begin to stir, and she quickly slipped out into the hall as Mickey went on.

"_Good. We've been seeing some strange energy readings coming from that area. They're nothing big, but they're not anything we've seen before. There doesn't appear to be any sort of pattern. They just flare up and then seconds later they're gone without a trace. Since you're there anyway, Pete wants you to look into it."_

Rose sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "You know I'm not working right now. And couldn't Dad just call me about it himself?"

"_I told him I wanted to check in with you – see how you're doing. And I know you're not working. That's why we're asking this as a favor. We'll ship you some equipment and put you up in a flat. This'll take a couple of days, at most, and Pete promises to compensate you for your time."_

A second passed in silence, and then Rose sighed. "What do you need me to do?"

A few minutes later, when Rose hung up the phone and quietly slipped back into the room, she found Alec awake, propped up on his elbows. He smiled when he saw her. "Thought you'd left."

"Nah. Just had to take a call." Rose plopped down on the bed. "How's the patient this morning?" she asked teasingly, tongue poking through her teeth.

"I'll be fine as long as you never refer to me as 'the patient' again. Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah, I slept great. You could've woken me up, though, you know. I didn't mean to stay over. You probably would've been more comfortable if you hadn't been sharing a bed with someone. I tend to hog the blankets."

Alec shrugged. "I didn't mind." Rose gave him an amused look, and he stammered, "I didn't mean it like that, I just… ah… you're right, I should have woken you – you probably didn't want to spend the night in the bed of a man you barely know…" He had turned bright red, and Rose was hardly suppressing a laugh. "That's not to say I'm… presuming anything about…"

"You're just digging yourself into a deeper hole, Inspector."

"Yeah, I think I'll stop talking now," Alec huffed.

"I don't know about you," Rose went on, "but I'm starved. I'll go get cleaned up and let you do the same, and then I'll be back with breakfast. Sound ok?"

"You really don't have to do that," Alec protested. "You spent all day here yesterday – I'm sure you have other things you want to do."

"Nope," Rose smiled. "The call I had to take was from work, and they need me to look into something in the area. I'm afraid you're not getting rid of me just yet, Inspector."

"I thought you were trying to get away from work?"

"I was, but this is just a small favor, so I don't mind. Besides, I like it here in Broadchurch. I'm fine with staying here a little longer."

Alec, too, smiled a bit at this. "Well, that's good news, then."

Rose held his gaze for a second, smiling back at him. "Go get cleaned up, then. I'll be back in a bit."

It wasn't long after Rose had left that Alec's phone buzzed.

"Miller. Is everything all right?"

"_Hello and good morning to you, too, Alec,"_ Ellie said. Alec could all but hear her rolling her eyes at him, wearing the same expression of exasperation and affection that she wore so often around him. _"'Course everything's fine. I'm calling to check up on you."_

"No need to worry about me – I'm being fussed over enough."

"_That's good to hear. Rose is a nice girl, isn't she? She'd have to be to deal with you for so long. Did she stay long after I left last night?"_

"She, ah…" Alec hesitated. "She never really left."

"_Alec."_ Ellie's tone was stern, and Alec continued quickly.

"She just fell asleep," he defended. "And I didn't want to wake her."

There was a long pause before Ellie spoke again. _"You're smitten with her, aren't you?"_ It was more of a statement than a question.

Alec sputtered. "I… n-no, of course not!"

"_Oh, you are!"_ Ellie laughed. _"You're completely lost! I could tell from that very first time I saw the two of you together. You were so anxious for her to stay, and I suspected you were interested in her, but this is something else entirely!"_

"I'm not even going to argue with you," Alec sighed. "Nothing I say will change your mind about this… misunderstanding."

"_Alec, it's ok to like her, you know."_

"I hardly know her," he pointed out.

"_That doesn't mean anything. Sometimes you can just tell immediately."_

"She's not even going to be here long."

"_She's already extended her stay to spend time with you, hasn't she? That means she likes you, too. Where is she now?"_

"Getting breakfast for us." There was another pause, and Alec wondered how Ellie could say, "I told you so" without actually saying anything. "It doesn't mean anything, Ellie. She'll be gone soon enough, so I suggest you get whatever romantic notions you have out of your head."

"_Blimey, you can be thick,"_ Ellie muttered. _"Well, I'll let you go, then – I need to leave for the station anyway. Enjoy your breakfast with Rose, who you definitely do not like at all."_

Alec grumbled a goodbye and hung up the phone, tiredly rubbing his face. He really hated it when Ellie was right.

When Rose returned, she was freshly showered and carrying a bag of delicious-smelling food. "Blimey, it's really pouring outside," she laughed, running a hand through her damp hair. "Sorry I took so long. I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I got a bit of everything," she explained, laying out an assortment of items for a makeshift picnic on the floor.

Alec hadn't realized how hungry he was until he started eating. "You really didn't have to do this," he told Rose between bites.

"It's really not a problem," Rose said. "You keep making it out to be a huge deal that I'm here with you and everything, but it's really not. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, you know."

"I believe you. It's just that I'm having trouble figuring out why exactly you want to be here."

Rose's expression softened, and her smiled warmed. "Is it so hard to believe that I've just enjoyed spending time with you, Alec?"

Alec shrugged. "Maybe it is. Maybe it's not me who you want to be spending time with – maybe it's the friends back home you've neglected, or your friend who looks like me, and I'm just some sort of replacement for them while you're here." Rose opened her mouth to speak, but Alec continued. "And that's fine. It's hard to come to a new town and not have any friends. I know what that's like, believe me – I've been here for months, and Ellie's my only real friend."

"Well, now you have me, too," Rose interrupted before Alec could go on. "Because you're not some sort of stand-in for anyone, Alec." Rose had had her doubts about this, of course. If she was honest, she had gone out of her way more than once to be with Alec, and as she got to know him better she had worried that it was only his resemblance to the Doctor that kept drawing her back to him. But the words felt true as she spoke them. She enjoyed Alec's company because he was Alec. For as much as she had questioned this – and would probably continue to question it in quiet moments of self-doubt – she was certain about it now.

Alec seemed less certain. "Are you sure, Rose? Because you are obviously attached to this man, whoever he is, but you won't ever talk about him – I don't even know his name! Something painful obviously happened. Isn't it possible that you've only been spending time with me because I remind you of him?"

Blinking back tears that she hadn't notice form, Rose gave him a small, sad smile and shook her head. "You don't remind me of him much at all, actually. You're right – what happened was very painful and still is, but believe me when I say that you're not a replacement for him, Alec. You're very different people, and I like you for those differences. But if you don't believe me and you want me to go, I understand."

She started to stand, but Alec caught her wrist before she could. "No, I… please stay." Rose sat back down, and he let go of her hand. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just wanted to know where I stand."

"I know, and it's ok," Rose said gently. "I'm really not upset with you, Alec." She let out a breath then laughed a little. "This whole situation is just a bit weird, isn't it?"

"I'm fine with weird."

"Good. We're friends now, aren't we, Alec?"

Alec smiled, though there was something just a little off about his expression that Rose couldn't quite put her finger on. "Yes, Rose Tyler. We're friends."

Rose grinned genuinely, and Alec found that it was quite infectious. They finished eating breakfast quietly, and she asked him if there was anything he wanted to do today. "I mean, if you don't want me hanging around, that's fine," she added quickly. "I didn't really mean to be here all day yesterday, and I know how it can get tiring just being around someone."

"You're welcome to stay if you'd like. I'm probably more relaxed with you here than I would be by myself – I'd drive myself mad before too long."

It didn't take them long to settle in for the day. They ended up each caught up with in book. Alec sat on the bed with his back against the headboard, and Rose was curled up in the armchair across from him, wrapped in a blanket. They didn't talk much other than the occasional break for tea or food, but the intervening silence was entirely comfortable. The day was quiet and peaceful – just the sort of day that Rose had been longing for on this trip, and just the sort of day that Alec hadn't had in as long as he could remember. They both knew that they could have easily been on their own, but the presence of another person was soothing.

When Rose looked up from her book in the evening, she had to smile at the sight of Alec slumped over, sound asleep. She quietly went over to him and removed his glasses, draping him in the blanket she had been wrapped in. Then she slipped out the door without a word and went back to her own room.

Rose wasn't sure what exactly it was that she liked about Alec. He could be the grumpiest, rudest person she knew, and that alone would have been enough to drive any sane, normal person away. He was frank – sometimes to a fault. But he could also be sweet and endearingly awkward. He was a good man, Rose knew. She felt comfortable with him, but it was more than that: she felt _happy_. That was more than she could say for the way anyone had made her feel in a long time. Even today when they had just been sitting silently, she had felt good. Their friendship felt easy and natural, much like it had felt with the Doctor. Rose could tell that he had been through plenty of pain, and it made her feel proud whenever she could coax a genuine smile from him. And she could tell that he liked her, too. They had enjoyed their days together and, honestly, Rose hoped for more days like the last couple. The pain of the last few years certainly hadn't been forgotten, but neither had it been the constant presence that she had become accustomed to.

She couldn't consider anything beyond that, though. They were friends and she liked spending time with him. Anything more was just too complicated – there were too many variables, too many reasons why anything more couldn't work. Maybe it would just be best just to avoid the possibility. Or maybe things were already complicated enough as they were that a little more complication wouldn't hurt.

Rose sighed, flopping down onto her bed. If she was honest, she didn't know what she wanted. It was too early for that – forcing her relationship with Alec one way or the other would've felt like lying, both to herself and to him. Her thoughts now were muddled and, frankly, trying to categorize whatever it was that she and Alec were beginning to have would probably only serve to foster drama that she neither wanted nor had the time to deal with. She'd just have to wait and see where things started to go on their own. By then, maybe she'd have a plan of some sort, or at least some idea of what she actually wanted. She could hope so, at least.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello again, dearest readers! I hope you are all well. Thank you so much for all the reviews, follows, and favorites – you make me so happy! Enjoy the chapter!**

When Rose opened the door the next morning, laden with the luggage she was taking out to the car, she started a little to find Alec standing in the doorway.

"Trying to sneak out of town, Miss Tyler?"

Rose laughed. "Not at all, Inspector. Since I'm now here on business as well as my own enjoyment, I'm being put up in a flat for the rest of my stay, however long that ends up being."

"I see. Do you need any help?"

"No, and I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to lift anything anyway," Rose scolded teasingly, though Alec looked unrepentant. "But you're welcome to tag along if you'd like."

The flat was only a short drive away – Pete had selected it for its central location and because it was already furnished. Rose had nothing to do but unpack her clothes and, once the Torchwood equipment arrived, set it up. Alec seemed impressed with the selection. It was only a small one bedroom flat, but it was relatively new, and everything was clean and in good condition.

"More comfortable than living in a hotel, don't you think?" Rose asked pointedly as Alec plopped down onto the sofa.

"Mmm. This might just be what finally gets me out of Trader's," he replied.

"You could get a house, y'know. If you're settled in here, something a little more permanent might suit you better."

"What am I going to do rattling around in a big empty house by myself?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe something like actually making a home for yourself here."

Alec raised an eyebrow. "And what about you, Rose Tyler? You don't seem too intent on following your own advice."

Rose shrugged. "Maybe someday I'll get a little house with a garden and a white picket fence and a mortgage and all that. 'S just not something I've thought about lately, and it's something that I deliberately _avoided_ thinking about for the last few years. Back when I was travelling, I didn't think I'd ever settle down. Now," she plopped down beside Alec and grinned, tongue poking between her teeth, "it doesn't seem like the worst thing ever."

"There are definitely worse things," Alec agreed.

As soon as the equipment arrived from Torchwood, Rose really started to settle in. She spent quite a bit of time in the flat working, but she visited with Alec and Ellie almost every night. Work consumed much of her days, but not nearly as much as before. In the mornings, she would walk or run along the beach, or get a cup of tea with Alec. Sometimes she could even be persuaded to take a lunch break or end her workday a bit early. She took her work seriously, though, and she was truly fascinated by it. What should have been a simple issue seemed to grow more and more complicated every time she looked at it. She wouldn't call what the machines were picking up energy. There was no apparent light or heat accompanying it; there was no pattern to the appearances. On the rare occasions when a new burst appeared, it was no more than a blip on the equipment, and then it was gone. Rose used every tactic she could think of to record and examine it, but nothing gave her any definitive answers. She couldn't even trace its exact location – the closest she could ever get was within a couple of blocks. It really wasn't like anything Rose had ever seen before, and she quickly grew determined to figure out exactly what it was.

If she was honest, though, she wasn't just extending her stay in Broadchurch because of her Torchwood work. She had grown fond of the town and the people in it. She felt comfortable here, almost like she was a new person. No one pitied her – no one even new enough about her past to truly pity her. She had friends, and she was actually happy. The time she spent with Alec and Ellie felt easy and carefree. She was smiling and laughing like any other person. She loved the little life she had here, and she wasn't ready to leave it.

Days passed and turned into weeks. The flat – at first only containing the bare essentials – began to show signs of its being lived in: half-full mugs of tea sitting on almost every surface, a fuzzy pink throw blanket draped across the sofa, knick-knacks that she had picked up from local shops, shells that she had gathered at the beach. She kept the Torchwood equipment in her bedroom, out of the way so there would be no questions about its use.

No one questioned her prolonged, possibly indefinite, stay.

Rose, teaming up with Ellie, convinced Alec to look for a place to live, and he ended up purchasing a small house just several blocks from Ellie's. Having not many more things to pack and move than Rose, the move would be a relatively simple one just as soon as documents were finalized and furniture was ordered.

When Alec returned to work in the meantime, Rose offered to make him dinner in celebration. "It'll be fun," she told him. "You and Ellie can come over and I'll make a nice meal. You do have quite a bit to celebrate, you know. You're healthy, you're back at work, and soon you'll be living in your own house."

"I suppose, if it's no trouble…"

"Of course it's not," Rose laughed, and it was settled.

The next night, Rose's flat was cheerier than it had ever felt before. Alec and Ellie had arrived while dinner was cooking, Ellie remarking that the whole flat smelled amazing, and they spent the evening happily eating and chatting. It was late when Alec announced that he should get going, but Rose and Ellie still protested.

Alec shrugged off their objections. "Got to get up for work tomorrow. Not everyone has the day off," he added, looking pointedly at Ellie.

"Your loss," Ellie said easily, leaning back on the sofa and sipping her wine contentedly. "I'll see you later, Alec."

Alec nodded, and Rose walked around the corner with him to see him to the door. "Thanks for coming, Inspector," she grinned. "This was fun."

"It was," Alec agreed. "Thanks for hosting."

"Have a good night, then."

Alec hesitated in the doorway for just a moment before leaning in to give Rose a peck on the cheek. Rose felt her mouth open a bit in surprise, and she saw Alec turn bright red, seemingly also surprised, but he was walking quickly away before Rose could say anything. Still, she stood there for another moment before closing the door and going back to the living room.

Ellie noticed the look on her face immediately. "What? What is it? What did he do?"

"'S nothing, really, I'm sure," Rose said. "Alec, ah, just gave me a kiss on the cheek."

Ellie's eyebrows shot up, but her expression of surprise was quickly replaced by a huge grin. "'Bout time, I'd say."

"What do you mean?"

"Rose, I've watched you two dance around each other for weeks," she laughed. "Maybe now he'll finally ask you on a proper date."

"You think Alec's interested in me?" Rose asked, embarrassed by the blush that she could feel spreading across her face.

Ellie sighed, smiling good-naturedly. "He's been interested in you from the start, Rose. I can tell. Every time I see you two together, you both look so happy. You're interested in him, too, aren't you?"

"Yeah, 'spose I am."

"You suppose?"

"I don't know, Ellie," Rose said, running a hand through her hair. "I like Alec a lot, but I just… I don't know. I've told you about my friend who looked like Alec. The resemblance is uncanny, and I…"

"You'd be worried that Alec was just a replacement for him," Ellie finished.

Rose nodded. "And he wouldn't be. They're such different people, and I really like Alec, but I'd still be worried. And I'd be worried that he'd think he was just a replacement. He asked me that, once – if I was just spending time with him because he looked like someone else."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him no."

"And did you mean it?"

Again, Rose nodded. "I meant it completely."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Ellie assured her. "You meant it, and Alec clearly believes you – he wouldn't still be around if he didn't."

"After everything that's happened, I didn't think I would ever have feelings for another person," Rose said quietly.

Ellie gently put a hand on her shoulder. "You're not betraying him, if that's what you're worried about." Rose sat up a little, surprised to hear Ellie say this. "He's dead, isn't he?" Rose nodded silently. "I figured as much from how you talk about him."

"It was sudden," Rose told her. "I didn't want to face it. I never even let myself grieve."

"Believe it or not, I sort of know how you feel. You wanted to throw yourself into work to forget about it, and at the same time you wanted to hide away and never have to face the world again, right?"

Rose nodded. "How'd you know?"

"You don't know what happened with my husband, do you?" Rose shook her head, and Ellie sighed. "My soon-to-be-ex husband was the one who murdered Danny Latimer."

"Oh God, Ellie."

"Please don't say you're sorry – I've heard quite enough of that, and I bet you have, too."

"What did you do?" Rose asked. "How did you get through it?"

"I took Tom and Fred and left Broadchurch for a while. I wasn't planning on coming back – how could I, with all the memories here and the whole town looking at me differently? My sister and Alec were really the only people I spoke to. I felt lost. But in the end, the boys' lives are here, and my life is here, and the only support I have in the world is here, so we came back. I bought the new house and went back to work at the station. And every day I try to make up for not knowing, for not being able to stop anything."

"Ellie, I don't know what to say," Rose breathed. "I'm glad you did come back, though. You've been a great friend to me, and Alec would be lost without you."

Ellie gave her a small smile. "I'm glad I did, too. The point is, though, that even if sometimes it feels like you shouldn't, you are allowed to be happy again. You said you never let yourself face it, but you're starting to face it now on your own. You're ready, and it's happening naturally, and that's a good sign."

"You know, you're the first person I really talked to about any of this. My mum was there, of course, but I think she knew that I wasn't ready to talk."

"Do you want to tell me about him? What was his name?"

"He was a bit… eccentric," Rose said with a half laugh. "He called himself 'the Doctor.' The years that we spent travelling together were the happiest I've ever been. And I loved him quite a lot."

Ellie gave Rose a soft smile. "I know how hard it is to lose someone so suddenly, Rose. But just because you're happy and you're interested in another relationship doesn't mean you love the Doctor any less. You're not dishonoring his memory. And as cliché as it sounds, he'd want you to be happy, wouldn't he?"

"Yeah. He would want that."

"Just because the situation's a bit complicated and scary doesn't mean it can't be what you want."

Rose smiled. "Thanks, Ellie. What would I do without you?"

"Crash and burn," Ellie teased, and Rose laughed. "So Alec is interested in you, and you're interested in him, and that's a good thing, yes?"

"Yes. And you've been quietly pushing us together this whole time."

"Maybe I have."

When Alec walked out of Trader's that morning, he was surprised to find Rose waiting for him, two travel mugs of tea in hand. He approached her nervously, but her genuine smile was encouraging. Still, all he could think about was how out of line she must think he had been. Really, she had never hinted that she wanted to be anything more than friends. But friends could kiss each other on the cheek, right? She didn't seem offended, at least.

"Morning," she greeted, handing him one. "I wanted to catch you before you left for the station, and I thought you might like a cuppa."

"You got up early to wait outside for me and give me tea?"

"Yeah, sorry, it sounds really creepy when you put it like that."

"No, no, it's fine," Alec said quickly. "The tea at the station's rubbish. This is much better." They stood silently for a second before he spoke again, his words tumbling out rapidly. "Sorry about last night, that was… I don't know why I…"

"You shouldn't be sorry," Rose said quickly.

Alec paused. "I shouldn't?"

"No." Before Rose could talk herself out of it, she stood up on the tips of her toes and gently pressed her lips to Alec's. The kiss was brief, and Rose found herself suddenly very anxious as she pulled away. The nerves melted away, though, when she saw the small smile fixed on Alec's face and noticed that his free hand had come to rest on her waist. It felt so natural and easy, and Rose half wondered why she hadn't done it before.

"Do you want to meet for lunch today?" Alec blurted. "As a date. I mean, if you have other plans –"

"I'd love to," Rose interrupted, and Alec's hesitant smile spread into a relieved grin.

"Brilliant."


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello, dearest readers! Sorry about the delay again – real life is stealing all of my writing time, and I'm preparing for NaNoWriMo on top of that, so things have been pretty hectic. I will definitely still be updating this next month, but probably only every other week. Hopefully after that I can go back to updating more often. As always, thank you so much for all of your support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Later that day, Rose sat, wringing her hands, at the diner where Alec had recommended they meet. She had arrived early, having spent the morning feeling restless. After seeing Alec, she had gone back to her flat and tried to work on her Torchwood assignment. She had been stalled for a while, though, and the combination of the lack of new information and her inability to concentrate on anything brought the attempt to a quick end. Instead, she went and drew herself a hot bath, luxuriating in the heat of the water and the scent of the bubbles, hoping that this would help still her nerves. _There's no reason to feel nervous, anyway,_ she told herself. _It's only Alec, and it's only lunch. Everything will be fine._

Still, she felt jittery even after her bath. She took her time drying her hair, dressing, and applying her makeup. For a while, then, she wandered aimlessly around the flat. She attempted to work again, and, again, failed. Finally, she gave up and left for the diner, deciding to walk rather than drive – it was a nice day and, even though she would still be quite early by the time she got there, she at least wouldn't be _as_ early. And so there she sat now, fiddling with her keys and checking her mobile and examining in depth the contents of her purse.

When Alec finally arrived, right on time, Rose's nerves instantly melted away. She smiled and waved, and he smiled back and headed to the table where she sat.

"Hello, Inspector."

"Hello, Miss Tyler."

"I take it that the station didn't completely fall apart in your absence."

"Honestly, they'd probably had preferred it if I wasn't back," Alec said lightly. "But it's good to be back. Gives me a sense of purpose. Speaking of, how's your work going? Wasn't it only supposed to take a few days?"

Rose shrugged. "I'm a bit stalled at the moment. I probably don't have to keep at it – it wasn't urgent or particularly important or anything – but now that I've started, I'd like to keep going until I figure it out." She paused as a waitress came by, giving them glasses of water and slightly sticky menus. "Besides," she continued. "I'm starting to feel at home here."

"Glad to hear that."

Rose smiled and looked down at the menu in her hand. "Everything here looks good. This was a good choice, Inspector."

"It's not exactly a five-star restaurant," Alec said apologetically.

"Doesn't mean it's not good. You can take me to a five-star restaurant next time," she added teasingly.

"You must be pretty confidant that this will go well if you're already planning our second date," Alec replied with a hint of a smile.

"Well, it's not like we're just meeting, or anything. We've known each other for long enough, now, that I'm fairly certain you're at least tolerable," Rose grinned.

"I'd say I'm a bit more than tolerable," Alec defended.

"I said you're _at least_ tolerable, didn't I? That's definitely better than just being tolerable."

"Oh, well, when you put it like that," he chuckled. "You sure know how to flatter a bloke."

"Sorry. 'S been a while since I've done this," Rose laughed.

"I can guarantee you that it's been far longer since _I've_ done this, and you've got nothing to be worried about."

Rose knew that was true – not having anything to be worried about, that is – and it was only further confirmed as the date went on. The conversation flowed easily, and she was constantly laughing and smiling. The whole thing felt so natural. She didn't have to try with Alec; as cliché as it was, she almost felt like she had known him for much longer than she actually had. Pauses in their conversation were comfortable instead of extended into long awkward stretches. She could tease him and laugh when he pretended to be offended, and she loved it when he teased her back.

When Alec's phone buzzed, it was entirely too soon, and disappointment showed on both his face and Rose's.

"Duty calls?"

"Afraid so," he sighed.

"They've lasted this long without you – they could manage on their own for one more afternoon, couldn't they?" Rose asked only half jokingly.

"Don't tempt me," Alec said with a small smile.

"'Spose I should take another shot at work, too. Gotta save the world, and all that," Rose laughed, and Alec's smile widened.

"Rose Tyler, somehow it wouldn't surprise me a bit if you were out saving the world."

Rose lingered back while Alec paid for the meal, wondering not for the first time when and how she could tell him that that was exactly what she did. She didn't want to think too far ahead – this was their first date, after all. Whatever relationship was between them was just starting, and there was really no telling where it would go. Maybe they'd keep seeing each other, or maybe they'd just decide to remain friends. Maybe tomorrow Rose would wake up with the undeniable urge to leave Broadchurch and she'd never see him again. It was too soon to really consider any commitment beyond what they had now.

But if the relationship became more serious, Rose knew she would have a lot to explain, and her work at Torchwood was probably the least of it.

Alec returned to her side before she could contemplate it too deeply. "Was this… ok?" he asked a little hesitantly, gesturing vaguely around them. "I mean the date. Because I'd like to see you again like this."

"I'd like that, too," Rose told him, smiling warmly. "But we can talk about that later. I believe you need to get back to work, Inspector. You go and save the town, and I'll save the world."

Any reluctance gone, Alec leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips – not quite chaste, but brief enough not to attract the attention of the general public. "Can I call you tonight?"

"You can call me anytime," Rose grinned, fingers playing with his tie. "Now go on. I don't want to get you in trouble for making you late."

When Rose's phone rang that afternoon, she smirked and answered it without a pause. "That didn't take you long."

"_What? Rose, it's your mum."_

Rose started at the sound of Jackie's voice. "Oh, hi, Mum. Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"_I assumed as much when you answered the phone in the middle of a conversation you weren't having with me,"_ Jackie said dryly.

"How've you been? I've been meaning to call but it just keeps gettin' away from me."

"_Everything's been fine here, sweetheart. Just more of the same. How've you been?"_

"I'm doing well. I can't for the life of me figure out this stuff for Torchwood, but everything else is good."

"_You don't have to stay just for Torchwood, Rose. You know that Pete said it's nonessential work and you're welcome to let it go. He really just wanted you to check that it didn't raise any red flags or anything. Wasn't the point of your trip to get away from work?"_

"It's really not a big deal, Mum. I don't mind working on it, and I'm curious to figure it out," Rose told her. She doubted Jackie was satisfied by this justification, but she let the subject drop.

"_So you're still happy being in Broadchurch, then? You've made friends there?"_

"Yeah, I've made some really good friends. I'm happy to stay here for a little longer."

There was a brief pause before Jackie sighed. _"No plans to come home anytime soon, then?"_

"Mum –"

"_It's ok, of course. I know you needed to get away for a while. We just miss you here, sweetheart."_

"I miss you, too, Mum," Rose said. "And I won't stay away forever. I'm just not quite ready to come back yet."

"_Or move on from Broadchurch,"_ Jackie finished for her. _"Is there something you're not telling me, Rose?"_

Alec's face flashed in Rose's mind. "No, 'course not," she said with a slight pang of guilt. "Just like being here. It's peaceful, and the people are nice – just what I need right now."

Fortunately, Jackie accepted the answer well enough to move on. They spoke for a while longer, Rose asking about how Pete was doing and what Tony was up to, and Jackie promising to give them both a big hug for her. When they finally hung up, Rose let out a breath. It had been easy not to explain her situation when she hadn't expected to be in Broadchurch longer than a week. But now that she was settling in here and there was the possibility of her relationship with Alec going somewhere, it was seeming more and more likely that at some point she would have to tell Jackie everything that was going on. And explaining to her mother that she had been spending time with a man who could have been the Doctor's twin was not something that she even wanted to think about doing.

A few nights later, Rose, Alec, and Ellie had gathered at Ellie's house for dinner while Olly took Tom and Fred out for a "guys' night" which, according to Ellie, was probably just video games and junk food. The evening was cool but clear, and they sat in Ellie's garden as the sun went down, sipping glasses of wine and enjoying the quiet.

"This is lovely, Ellie," Rose said, leaning her head back and looking up at the darkening sky. "I'm glad you thought to do this."

"I'm glad that Olly could take the boys for the evening," Ellie laughed. "Don't get much quiet time around here."

"Must get overwhelming sometimes," Rose said thoughtfully.

Ellie shrugged. "It does. Some days are worse than others, but it can get hard. I just hope I'm raising them well – doing what I can to make sure they grow up right."

"You are, Ellie," Alec told her.

"Do you have any kids, Alec?" Rose asked. "You've mentioned that you were married before."

Alec hesitated a little. "A daughter – Emma. She's almost sixteen now." He paused. "Don't see her much."

"That must be hard. I've got a little brother in London, and I miss him like crazy. My mum sends me pictures of him sometimes, and I swear he gets bigger every day."

"I'm sure he misses his big sister," Alec told her.

"And I'm sure you miss Emma," Rose said softly. "Maybe she'd like to come to Broadchurch sometime and see her dad and his new house, yeah?"

"Maybe." Alec gave her a small smile and reached over to take her hand. Ellie grinned as she watched them. They hadn't needed to say anything about being together – she knew. It was pretty obvious, really. They had arrived separately but spent the evening standing and sitting closer than normal, allowing their hands to brush, glancing at each other every so often and smiling. They seemed perhaps a little cautious still, but they were very clearly happy.

"So I assume that you and Rose are together," Ellie said when she had a moment alone with Alec. "You two seem really happy."

"Yeah. We are," Alec replied, unable to hide the small smile that had been present nearly all evening.

"Good. It certainly took you long enough to get around to it."

A beat passed before Alec spoke again. "What if I mess this up, Ellie?"

"You won't," Ellie told him gently. "It's pretty obvious how you feel about Rose, and she clearly feels the same way about you."

"I really hope you're right."

Ellie's brow furrowed. "Something's bothering you."

Alec shrugged, but his worry still showed. "She's not going to stay here forever, is she? She'll move on, and then what?"

Rose returned before Ellie could answer, slipping her arm around Alec and making any traces of worry vanish from his face.

Eventually, Olly came to return the boys, and while Ellie carried a sleeping Fred upstairs, Alec and Rose bid her goodnight and walked out together to their cars.

"Well, Inspector," Rose grinned. "'Spose you've got to be up early tomorrow to head to the station. You'd better be off to bed, too."

"Actually, tomorrow's my day off. I'm on call if they need anything, but hopefully I'll just be working on making the new house livable." He hesitated a little. "You can come see it, if you'd like – it's not far."

"Sounds good. I'd like to see how everything's coming along."

"It's nothing impressive," Alec continued. "Don't exactly have a knack for decorating, and it's definitely still a work in progress at best."

"I'm sure it looks good," Rose laughed. "And if it's really terrible, I can give you some pointers. So I'll follow you there, then?"

"Yeah."


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! Thanks for bearing with me – the wait for this chapter was longer than I intended, and I probably won't be able to update again until the end of the month, but after that I should be updating more frequently again. Enjoy the chapter!**

The house was of new construction – not huge but not small, the walls still bare and white and everything smelling new. The rooms were furnished to a minimum, and the only items in the open living room were a sofa, coffee table, and a bookshelf that had yet to be filled. Alec flicked on the lights when they walked in, and Rose paused to look around.

"You weren't kidding when you said this place was a work in progress," Rose laughed lightly. "Or at least I hope you weren't."

"What's wrong with it?" Alec asked, feigning surprise. "I thought it was pretty much finished. I have everything I need."

Rose rolled her eyes. "And among the abundance of things that you have, do you happen to have a kettle and some tea, Inspector?"

"First thing I unpacked, in fact. Would you like a cup?"

"Only if you have mugs to drink out of," she teased, and Alec laughed.

"For as critical as you are, Miss Tyler, you don't seem to have much more than the essentials yourself."

"You've been here longer than I have. You have no excuse." _And you're staying longer than I am,_ Rose added silently but quickly shook the thought away. There was no reason to worry about that right now.

While Alec set to work fixing their tea, Rose wandered about a little, eventually stopping in a semi-dark room with a large window that faced out towards the ocean. Alec joined her in a minute, handing her one of the steaming mugs he held and silently standing beside her.

"What a beautiful view," Rose said quietly after a moment. "This alone would be reason enough for me to move in here." Realizing the implications of the statement, she continued quickly. "If I were buying a house and you hadn't already bought it, that is."

"I know what you meant," Alec chuckled gently. "It was definitely a selling point – the bedroom has the same view. It's very relaxing." They stood in silence for another minute before Alec went on. "Funny thing is, I probably would've hated this view when I first came to Broadchurch."

"Ellie said that you hated everything when you first came here."

"She's not wrong," Alec shrugged. "I hated being here, and I hated the Latimer case. Looking out of the window and seeing this just would have reminded me of all the reasons I didn't want to be where I was."

Rose sipped her tea thoughtfully. "So what made you decided to stay?"

Alec thought for a moment. "There wasn't anywhere else to go," he said. "At least nowhere that seemed any better than here. And Ellie was here, and I felt like I should try to maintain one of the few friendships I had. But I think it was mostly because I just didn't know where else to go."

"And now?" Rose asked. "Are you still here because there's nowhere better?"

"Not anymore, no. I've settled in. I like the town, and if the people here don't like me they at least usually don't hate me anymore." Alec turned to face her. "And what about you, Rose? You didn't even come here purposely. You thought you'd be here for a couple of days, and you had plans to keep travelling. So what's keeping you here?"

The word "work" was already forming on her lips, but she hesitated. Because that wasn't it, not really – not if she was honest with herself. She looked up to see Alec waiting for her answer, and she smiled at him.

"It's a lot of things, really," she said honestly. "I like how peaceful the town is. I like that the pace is a little slower. I like that the people here are friendly, and I like being so near the ocean. I like spending time with Ellie. And I like spending time with you. I might like that part more than any of the others, actually."

She had barely gotten the words out when Alec kissed her, gentle but insistent, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek.

"I take it that was the answer you were looking for, then," Rose laughed a little breathlessly when they parted.

"I wasn't looking for any answer. But I'm sure glad you gave that one."

Setting down her mug so both hands were free, Rose threw her arms around his neck and kissed him again, more deeply this time. Putting his own mug aside, Alec wrapped both arms tightly around her waist, keeping her close to him. It was some minutes before they parted this time, both breathing heavily and slightly flushed.

"We should really do that more often," Alec grinned cheekily.

"Oh, I agree completely. As often as possible."

Alec's grip on Rose had not loosened, and for a while she was more than content to stay that way, standing there with his arms around her, feeling more secure and comfortable than she had in a long time. "Can I tell you something?" she asked quietly.

"Of course."

"I almost left Broadchurch the moment I saw you," Rose admitted.

Alec laughed a little. "Blimey, I know I tend to make bad first impressions, but that seems a bit extreme."

"It wasn't you I wanted to run from. I wanted to run away from my past, but getting away from you, pretending that I had never even seen you, that wouldn't have changed anything. So I tried to convince myself that it didn't matter and I stayed, thinking that I'd never see you again." Rose wanted to say more but didn't know how to say it, but Alec waited patiently for her to continue, running a hand up and down her back comfortingly.

"Do you want to sit down and talk about it?" he asked. Rose nodded, and he led her back into the lit room. They sat close together on the sofa, their hands entwined.

"I don't really talk about my past," Rose began, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "It's very painful, but I suppose I've spent a lot of time just trying to avoid it, too. My friend – the one who looked like you – he called himself the Doctor, and he was mad and brilliant and wonderful. The years I spent travelling were completely life changing. I was happier than I had ever been, and I thought things would stay like that forever."

She paused, wanting to gauge Alec's reaction, but found only gentleness and encouragement in his expression.

"I loved him more than I even know how to express," she continued. "Our relationship was complicated, though, and even though we were very close, we never really… expressed any feelings beyond that. And then, all of a sudden he was gone. There was… an accident, and he died. That was three years ago."

Alec's grip on her hand tightened and she was grateful for it. "I'm sorry," he told her, and Rose didn't doubt that he wholly meant it.

"Me too," she said. "After that was when I threw myself into work. I didn't want to face that he was gone. I buried myself away completely because if my only identity came from my work, then I wouldn't be the Rose Tyler who had lost her whole world. I wouldn't be the girl everyone felt sorry for but couldn't empathize with. And then when I was jarred from this world where my work was all that existed, I realized that I had never healed. I had never even grieved. I never let myself acknowledge what I had lost or the pain that I felt, so by the time I realized this I didn't even know who I was or what I felt or what I should do. And to make things worse, while I had ignored the pain, everyone else had moved on. Everyone expected me to have moved on, too, but I hadn't. It was like I had just lost the Doctor yesterday, but it had been three years for everyone else."

"So you had to get away?"

Rose nodded. "I needed time to collect myself and to figure out how to deal with everything away from all these people who expected me to be fine. My mum was the one who suggested I travel, and it seemed like a good idea. So I left, with every intention to go anywhere and everywhere, staying for a little while and then moving on when I felt ready, just like the Doctor and I had when we travelled together. I think part of me was still trying to run away, but part of me wanted to face everything and start to heal. And then I came here and I met you, and I was terrified. I was worried that just seeing you would make me experience every single ounce of pain over again. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to move on." She hesitated. "And once I started to get to know you, I was worried that it wasn't really you who I was spending time with, but my memories of the Doctor. I didn't want to be projecting him onto you, but I was scared that I was."

"Why were you so worried about it?" Alec asked, genuinely curious. "If you didn't really know me and you weren't planning on sticking around for long, why would it have mattered that you were projecting someone else onto me?"

"I wanted to heal and move on, and pretending that you were him wouldn't help me, and it certainly wouldn't have been healthy. Can you imagine my mental or emotional state if I had done that?"

"Fair point."

"But I realized eventually that I wasn't doing that at all – I just liked you, and I liked spending time with you. As strange of a situation as it is, I really, really like you, Alec. I want what's happening between us to continue." Part of her wanted to say more, but she stopped herself.

Alec stroked her cheek, and she shifted to move closer to him. "Rose, it's all right if you're not ready for a relationship. You're still healing, and if this makes things too complicated, that's fine. We can be nothing more than friends if that's what you want. I don't want you to force yourself into something you're not ready for."

"I'm not forcing myself into anything," Rose told him, smiling. "I am still healing, and I doubt that the pain will ever be gone completely. But that doesn't change how I feel about you, Alec, and it doesn't make me want to be with you any less." She reached up to hold his hand against her cheek. "You are a wonderful man. As grumpy and rude as you can be, I am completely sure that I want to be with you."

"You, Rose Tyler," Alec smiled, "are amazing."

Rose wasn't sure which one of them leaned forward – maybe they both had – but it didn't really matter. His lips were on hers and his hands were tangling themselves in her hair and she was clinging to him like her life depended on him. She felt drained and raw, but a strange sense of peace filled her. She had showed Alec how broken she was. She had told him things she hadn't even allowed herself to think over the past years. And he wanted her anyway.

She really hadn't meant to fall asleep. It had started raining and she had been sitting with his arms wrapped around her, and they had been listening to the quiet rhythm of the rain hitting the roof. She had been cuddled against him resting her head on his chest, feeling warm and safe and happy, and she had only closed her eyes for a moment. But when she opened them again, daylight was streaming into the room and Rose was alone on the sofa with a blanket draped over her.

Sitting up and running a hand through her hair, she turned to see Alec holding a mug of tea out to her. "Morning, sunshine."

"When will you learn that you can wake me up when I fall asleep in inconvenient places?" Rose scolded lightly, accepting the mug and moving over so he could sit beside her.

"Probably never. Did you sleep well?"

Rose nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "This couch is surprisingly comfortable. I'm surprised you have an extra blanket around here, though."

"You could give me a _little _more credit than that," Alec defended. "I told you I have the essentials."

"Well, I was very comfortable, so thank you."

"I'm glad. I was thinking if you wanted we could get some breakfast this morning."

"That sounds great," Rose grinned. "I'm starved. But can we stop by my flat first so I can change my clothes?"

"Sure."

Rose finished her tea and they headed to her flat, Rose promising that she would only be a minute as she unlocked the door and ushered Alec inside.

"Take your time," Alec said easily. "I'm in no rush."

"Well then, make yourself at home, Inspector," she called, already heading for her bedroom. "I'll be right out."

Freshening up and dressing quickly, Rose was nearly ready to leave when something made her pause. The equipment from Torchwood was coming to life, alerting her to another energy spike. Just like always, it was gone without a trace before she could get a good look at the readings. This one had been near by, though – probably within a few blocks. For a moment, Rose considered going in search of it, but quickly gave the idea up. A few blocks were a large enough area to search when she had no idea what she was looking for. And if whatever was causing this didn't leave behind any traces of energy, there was no real reason to think that it would leave behind any visible or observable trace, either.

"Ready to go, Alec?" she asked, finding him examining the knick-knacks on her shelves.

"Absolutely," Alec grinned, pausing when he saw her. "You look nice," he said, suddenly looking a little nervous.

"Yeah, it's amazing how much better I look when I've brushed my hair and I'm not wearing the clothes I slept in," Rose laughed.

"No, really," Alec insisted, moving closer to wrap his arms around her. "You're beautiful."

Rose was positive that she was blushing, but she didn't care. Instead she simply stood up on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to Alec's lips. "Thank you, Alec."

"Let's go, then. I'm hungry."

Rose laughed good-naturedly. "Me, too. C'mon."

Happily entwining her fingers with his, she led him outside and locked up the flat. The sun had come out and the day had grown pleasantly warm, and Rose was eager to take Alec's suggestion that they walk. Before they had made it a block, though, Rose stopped, turning around to look back down an alley they had just passed and hardly hearing Alec asking her what she was doing.

"Rose? Rose, what is it?"

"I… I don't know." Rose's heart was racing and her head was swimming. She hadn't really seen anything walking by at first – it was more of just a feeling that made her turn back. But now all she could see, written very plainly on the brick wall, were two very familiar words.


End file.
